James & Sarah at Cortijo Fain Viejo

Cortijo Fain Viejo

This was my first visit to the wedding venue Fain Viejo, set in the historic region of Andalucía near the town of Arcos de la Frontera, about half an hour from Jerez airport. The hacienda has been in Ana Zaiba’s family for may generations, so it maintains bucketfuls of its original charm character and fresh spring water from the still functioning well. Across the courtyard is the preserved olive oil mill with all the oil making paraphernalia mostly discarded in other venues. Fain Viejo boasts many photogenic features, the whole Hacienda is dotted with artifacts collected from all over the world by Ana’s family. It has extensive olive groves and gardens, at one end of which, is a large swimming pool and bar. The pool area is surrounded by olive trees, with a giant palm at each corner making it a perfect setting for a BBQ the night before the wedding, as well as making an amazing backdrop for mixing up the wedding photos.

James and Sarah’s wedding was an elegant affair, the understated glamour of Sarah’s dress set the tone for the day. While Sarah and her bridesmaids got ready, James and his friends hung fairy lights all around the courtyard as a surprise for his bride. James had asked his Godfather to conduct the blessing, something that wasn’t clearly understood until James sent the ceremony details over the week before. Having committed, his Godfather was somewhat apprehensive but could hardly refuse, but I have to say he did a wonderful job. I have noticed over the years, when the Priest or Celebrant is a personal friend of the bride and groom, there is a very unique ambiance and ceremonies are extra special.

Sarah and James are natural people, while their wedding was sumptuous and set in a very stylish setting, it was a very natural day, and I like to think that comes across in my photographs. The bride and groom are not centre of attention kind of people, and were not sure how they would be in front of the camera, but as I am sure you can see in the pictures every one looks natural, relaxed and of course happy in the beautiful surroundings of Fain Viejo. This is what my photography is about, with out any fuss just recording beautifully what happens on your special day.

The part of any wedding I love the most is when I get to whisk the bride and groom off to a quite part of the gardens and capture a few intimate moments with them. This is often the first moment they have had together on their own, (I don’t count 😉 ) since they got married. It is a wonderful opportunity to capture that moment and the sheer joy, happiness and love new couples glow with. James and Sarah were no exception, we grabbed some wonderful images that captured the moment in that magical place for ever.